From 28 July to 18 August 2018 the annual EJIF meeting (EJIF - European Jesuits in Formation) of us European Jesuits in formation took place in Rome. As a delegate for the Austrian province I was one of 23 Scholastics from 19 provinces. We were accommodated in the community of San Pietro Canisio, which is located right next to the General Curia. On one side the view opens to nearby St. Peter's Basilica, on the other over the venerable roof landscape of the eternal city. The community impressed us all with their brotherly hospitality. Franck Janin, President of the European Provincial Conference, spent a few days with us at the beginning and end of the meeting, which made us particularly happy.
Thematically we dealt with how we can communicate our faith in today's world and how we can improve the media presence as Jesuits and representatives of the Church. Numerous speakers from different fields in the field of tension between faith and communication in today's world gave us inspiring impulses and shared their practical experience. For example, Michael Rossmann, a fellow companion from the USA, explained to us via Skype how he creates his one-minute video homilies, which he publishes weekly. He simply started it at some point and encouraged us to do the same: "Just do it!" The best way to gain know-how is in practice.
This was confirmed to us by two Polish and one Spanish fellow companion who run similar projects (short videos on Ignatian topics on YouTube, guided Ignatian reflections and exams in live streams etc.) in their provinces with great success. Equally informative was the lecture given by the founder of Catholic Voices in Italy, Martina Pastorelli, mother of three children and wife of a British atheist. She gave us helpful tips on how to communicate our Catholic faith in a convincing way in a secularized world. She mentioned the method of reframing: Accusations and criticism in particular usually contain justified values that are identical with Christian values. If one starts exactly with these values, it becomes possible not to react defensively or aggressively, but to convey the good news in a fruitful way. Pope Francis is undoubtedly a natural talent when it comes to this method. Other particularly informative presentations were given by Nikolaas Sintobin (Internet pastor) and Bernd Hagenkord (Vatican News), among others.
Besides the numerous impulses there was enough time for sightseeing. On the first day we got to know Ignatian Rome by visiting the Jesuit churches of Sant'Ignazio and Il Gesù as well as the Camerette, where Ignatius wrote the Constitutions and celebrated masses. There we were also able to celebrate a mass, which was presided over by Franck Janin. He said in his homily that the first companions were not many, but they changed the world. Therefore, if there are fewer of us today than in previous decades, this must not prevent us from our apostolic zeal, nor must the first companions around Ignatius.
A guided tour through the Vatican Museums and another one through the archives of the General Curia, where we were shown original handwritten records of basic documents of our order, as well as a tour through the many different language sections and studios of Vatican News were further highlights.
Our retreat - an integral part of the EJIF program - took place in Santa Tecla, a diocesan house with a beautiful view of Assisi. Paul Pace (tertian instructor in Dublin) held the impulses, José de Pablo, Tomasz Kot and Clément Nguyen were further experienced companions. After the retreat, we spent a day visiting the city of the Saint, whose name our fellow companion, Pope Francis, chose and whose sight we could "co-meditate" for a week from the window of the chapel.
The meetings with Pope Francis and with Fr. General Arturo Sosa were certainly two highlights in the program. With Fr. General, who had celebrated the Mass of St. Ignatius in the full church Il Gesù a few minutes earlier, we talked first about possible reasons for the lack of brotherly vocations, then about the spiritual tension between the poles, to rise completely in the world or to close themselves off from the world. These poles also permeate our work with young people.
On Wednesday, August 2, our EJIF group was received in audience by Pope Francis. The Italian training delegation was present and introduced us to the Pope. When Francis entered the audience hall, we all stood up. He shook hands one by one. It was a moving moment. Francis has a strong charisma, a cheerful smile and a warm handshake, he seeks eye contact. The uninterrupted sound of the professional camera was the only thing that broke through the quiet, intense moment of encounter. Security, media people, a man with a huge camera and an interpreter were quickly distributed throughout the room, two bishops sat next to the Pope.
Pope Francis wants unity for the Society of Jesus. Not in the sense of a uniform method, but in the sense of a unity of hearts. He put freedom and obedience at our heart. Both are not mutually exclusive in our understanding of obedience, but rather strengthen and complement each other. And he wished us courage, strong knees for prayer and the grace of God.
Francis spoke about Peter Faber as a Master of Communication. Faber had the gift of communicating what was happening inside to the outside and leading others to talk about inner things. He recommended reading the Memoriale Fabers and a speech by Fr Pedro Arrupe in a Thai refugee camp.
Typical of his pictorial and humorous way of expression, the Pope compared our superiors to shepherds herding toads. The shepherds want to guard the toads and at the same time help them to jump. Asked about unity, he said that it would be unnatural if everyone bounced in the same direction - Jesuit diversity is something important.
We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. Click Agree to accept.